Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 801 A Man Like Zhuge Liang: A True Scholar (Part 1)
When Lu You arrived at the west bank of the Fei River, it was already completely dark.

As they approached the Chenzhou military camp, Lu You had already mentally prepared himself for the potential conflicts and even battles that might erupt along the way.

In his view, even if the Chenzhou army wanted to switch sides, Shi Ju would not make a big fuss about it and make it known to everyone. At the very least, the most basic scouts of the Chenzhou army would not know about it.

However, the reality was far beyond Lu You's expectations.

Upon hearing that the envoy was sent by Liu Dalang from Shandong, the scouts of Chenzhou Army almost immediately and excitedly welcomed Lu You and twenty Flying Tiger Armored Cavalry into the camp.

Upon entering the camp, an officer immediately came forward and led Lu You to the commander's tent.

"Master Shi, someone from Shandong has arrived."

Shi Ju nodded slightly, then looked at Lu You, stood up, and cupped his hands in greeting: "I wonder what kind of person you are..."

Lu You, of course, would not put on airs with someone who was about to defect, and returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "Lu You, Pacification Commissioner of Shandong."

Shi Ju stroked his beard and smiled, "So it's you, Master Lu. I've heard so much about you."

I have indeed heard a lot about you.

With the Han army's successive victories since its northern expedition, both civil officials and military generals have become famous. As the leading civil official in Shandong, Lu You naturally attracted a lot of attention.

Not only was Shi Ju aware of this person's policies, but he was also fully aware of his political leanings.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Shi Ju, Lu You asked first, "I wonder what advice you have for me, Lord Lu, on your risky journey to my camp? Could it be that Liu Dalang is worried about you and has specially sent you to supervise the army?"

Lu You did not continue the conversation, but shook his head and smiled, "I did not come from Hebei, but from Suzhou. I am not here on the orders of Liu Dalang, but on the orders of Duke Wei. I have only come here by chance to meet with Minister Shi."

In fact, Lu You was still unaware that Liu Huai had led his cavalry south, and he didn't want Shi Ju to know about the plight of the Loyal Army, so he gave vague answers.

Shi Ju didn't care, thinking that Lu You had come to keep an eye on things. But since he was determined to turn against Lu You, Shi Ju didn't bother to hide it anymore. He waved his hand to summon his personal guards and put on his armor.

"Lord Lu, please."

After dressing properly, Shi Ju gestured to Lu You to invite him out, and then walked out of the command tent first.

Even without a cup of tea, Lu You forced himself to endure his exhaustion and followed Shi Ju slowly away.

"Although I formally agreed to defect with Liu Dalang some time ago, this idea has been brewing for a long time, only lacking the right opportunity." Shi Ju walked slowly through the camp: "But Wei Xiaolang's personal arrival made me abandon my last doubts."

Lu You followed behind Shi Ju, looking around. He found the Chenzhou army camp to be well-organized and the soldiers to come and go in high spirits. Although it was night, the camp was still brightly lit with torches and braziers, allowing the generals to quickly take control of the troops when needed.

While their orderly appearance couldn't compare to that of the Han army, it was still much better than that of the average Song army.

"Lord Shi, why did you give up your position as Prime Minister of the Jin Kingdom to seek refuge with Liu Dalang?" After walking for a while, Lu You finally couldn't hold back and asked.

Shi Ju glanced at Lu You in the dim light of the torch and immediately realized that these were actually two separate issues.

They were asking him both why he turned his back on the Jin Dynasty and why he didn't submit to the Song Dynasty.

Shi Ju's answer was quite frank: "Of course, this is partly due to the fact that the Jin army lost its best soldiers after the Battle of Daming Prefecture. At this time, Liu Dalang's sweeping momentum in Hebei is unstoppable, and as a scholar from Hebei, I would naturally have to consider this."

Lu You's expression immediately darkened.

Why is the northern land in such a terrible state, yet no one comes to seek refuge with the Song state?

The reason why the Song army could not break through, could not cross the Huai River, could not enter the Central Plains, let alone Hebei.

Liu Huai was the one who demonstrated military might and punitive might to the Jurchens, and he was also the one who demonstrated kindness and virtue. So it's no wonder that the heroes of Hebei and the Central Plains won over the hearts of the people.

Shi Ju didn't stop speaking, but let out a long sigh: "But this is ultimately a small matter. I'm already this old, do I still have to be afraid of death? It's just that because I've reached this age and wasted so much time, I dare not take another wrong step."

Otherwise, with all their knowledge undeveloped and their ambitions unfulfilled, even in death, they will not be able to rest in peace before the King of Youdu.

As for what Shi Ju's ambitions were, Lu You had already read Liu Huai's correspondence with this fellow and thus understood.

Even without this incident, there was still Shi Ju's junior brother Liang Su in Shandong, who had already made his ambitions clear.

It was precisely this: to bring peace and stability to the Han lands.

"Liu Dalang is indeed a born genius. Two years ago, he clearly stated in a letter that the Jin Kingdom would never allow the Han lands to be at peace. At the time, I did not believe it, thinking it was just a crude scheme to sow discord. But today it seems that I am the one who is lacking in talent and learning, while Liu Dalang is insightful and sees right through me. Since the Jin Kingdom will not let me get what I want, they should not blame me for choosing a different path."

As they spoke, the two walked side by side and arrived at the banks of the Fei River.

This place was probably a temporary, leveled drill ground, and Lu You's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the flagpoles standing around it.

At the top of several flagpoles, there was a string of objects, vaguely visible in the firelight and moonlight, resembling a large bunch of grapes. After walking a few more steps and getting closer, Lu You realized that these were clearly dozens of human heads with their hair tied together, hanging high on the flagpoles.

By this calculation, the total number of people is over three hundred.

Shi Ju sat down on a stone bench on the shore, then clapped his hands, and his personal guards brought a stove and pot to set up on the stone table.

"Please, Mr. Lu." Shi Ju pointed to another stone bench: "This is a freshly caught fat fish, weighing a good eight pounds. Mr. Lu is in for a treat."

Lu You looked up at the string of heads again for a moment before sitting down on the stone bench and watching the fresh, fat fish being cooked into soup.

"Is Mr. Lu curious about who these people are?" Just as the pot was bubbling, Shi Ju pointed to the flagpoles with his chopsticks.

Lu You hadn't eaten since midnight and was extremely hungry. He scooped a piece of fish from the pot, swallowed it, and then nodded, saying, "I was just about to ask, are all these people who have broken military law?"

Shi Ju shook his head with a smile: "These people are all unruly and will most likely not side with Liu Dalang. Since they cannot work together but still want to be loyal to the Jin Kingdom, then don't blame me for turning my back on them without mercy."

As if worried that Lu You wouldn't believe him, Shi Ju pointed directly to a flagpole at the far east with his chopsticks: "For example, that fellow is called Shawei, and he is from Dengzhou. He was blinded by the promises of a military governor of the Jin Kingdom. I have already explained the overall situation to him frankly, but he has remained stubborn and has ended up like this."

"I've been busy with these matters for the past two days. Although I was prepared, I was still caught up in the chaos and almost made a big mistake. Fortunately, I was able to quickly quell the unrest in the Chenzhou army, which is truly commendable."

Lu You didn't say anything, but just kept drinking the fish soup, and his evaluation of Shi Ju rose to a new level.

This fellow is determined to save lives, yet he is also capable of killing, and is skilled at killing. He is a scholar-official who cannot be judged by ordinary standards.

You can hardly judge this person as simply good or bad, because although his purpose is good, his methods are often excessive and even cross the line.

If we were to describe him using a figure from the Three Kingdoms period, it would be Jia Xu, also known as Jia Wenhe.

Just as Lu You was lost in thought, he heard Shi Ju continue, "Is my junior brother truly being given an important position in Shandong?"

Lu You drank the fish soup in the bowl in one gulp, and then scooped some more from the pot: "That's how it is. Liang Mengrong is currently in charge of the entire army's key affairs. He is a military advisor and general. Da Lang even compares him to a figure like Zhuge Liang."

Shi Ju sensed the resentment in Lu You's tone and couldn't help but stroke his beard and laugh, "How could Meng Rong have such abilities? How could he possibly be worthy of being Zhuge Liang? At best, he's just a Fa Zheng."

Lu You shook his head and chuckled: "Fa Zheng is not bad either; he is, after all, a rare talent in the world."

Shi Ju replied solemnly: "Lord Lu, you are mistaken. Fa Zheng's talent lies with Emperor Zhaolie of Han. Only when His Majesty rises up can he take advantage of the situation and rise to prominence."

Zhuge Liang, on the other hand, was different. Even after the death of Emperor Zhaolie of Han, he was still able to launch the Northern Expeditions, keeping the troops in Yong and Liang and the people of China on their feet. He was truly a man who could make decisions and take charge of important matters.

In this respect, Meng Rong is inadequate.

At this point, whether it was a joke or a genuine sentiment, Shi Ju sighed and said, "In my opinion, among the people in the Song Kingdom who can be called Zhuge Liang and who can take charge of important matters at crucial moments, Prime Minister Yu Yunwen is half of one, and you, Prime Minister Lu, are also half of one."

Lu You finally put down his bowl: "If you, Lord Shi, were to compare me to others and say that I am only half as talented as a human, I would probably be resentful. But now you say that I am half as talented as Zhuge Liang, and I am flattered and dare not admit it."

Shi Ju waved his hand and laughed, "I'm just saying this arbitrarily, so you can just listen to it arbitrarily..."

Both were erudite individuals with a wide range of interests. After setting aside their official duties, they chatted about everything under the sun and found themselves quite compatible.

Before they knew it, the two had eaten most of the fat fish, and two or three hours had passed. The moon was high in the sky, and it was almost midnight.

Just as Lu You was feeling a bit drowsy, several generals slowly approached and bowed to Shi Ju, requesting his orders.

Shi Ju finally stood up, his armor plates rustling as he stretched his body, then nodded to Xie Fuyao and the others.

Lu You also sensed something was wrong and immediately got up to be on guard.

"Lord Lu." Shi Ju looked at the camp that was gradually brightening, and his expression became more lively. "You have never said the purpose of your visit, but how could I not have guessed? You just thought that I might be two-faced and reap the benefits without doing anything. But you don't know that my heart is as hard as steel, and my determination to stabilize the Han lands will never change."

My actions are not for any particular family or clan, but for the pride and aspirations of the men of Henan!

Ignoring Lu You's stunned silence, Shi Ju mounted his horse and shouted, "Light the fire!"

With a command given, the Chenzhou army's camp, like a fire dragon gradually awakening, became even brighter with lights.

In the firelight, a large army of five or six thousand men was revealed, and several pontoon bridges were being built across the river toward the opposite bank.

"Today! Tonight!" Shi Ju shouted, "Han Chinese of the Central Plains, fight for your lives!"

To Lu You's somewhat unnerving feeling, the Chenzhou army responded with a resounding roar, and then the generals from all sides led their troops to swarm across the river along the pontoon bridge.

At the same time, the Song-Jin camps on the east bank of the Fei River also noticed the unusual activity on the west bank and gradually became brightly lit.

(End of this chapter)